Ianto Unknown
by PinkFairy727
Summary: Written for the 13th Jantolution Challenge - The Harlequin Challenge. Ianto Jones wakes up on the floor one morning with no recollection of how he got there – or of Torchwood.
1. Thursday

Thursday

**Thursday**

Ianto sat up slowly, gingerly rubbing the back of his head. He felt like he had been run-over, his entire body ached – probably due to the fact that he seemed to have fallen asleep on the floor. He tried to stand – and immediately gave up. The pain in his head intensified, making him see stars in front of his eyes. Ianto groaned quietly, before resting his head on the wooden coffee table next to him.

_Pounding headache? Check. _

_Fallen asleep in an embarrassing position? Check. _

_Feel like you could drink enough water to fill the Thames threefold and still have room for more? Check._

_Diagnosis: Hangover._

This seemed like the logical conclusion to Ianto's confused brain – though it didn't explain the egg-sized lump on the back of his head. Nor did it explain why there were no remnants of last night's activities.

Surely if he'd drunk enough to pass out on the floor, there would still be some bottles lying around.

The last time he'd been this hung over he was still a teenager and had drunk more than a full bottle of cider. Surely even _his_ inner neat freak would be at least a bit incapacitated after that much alcohol.

Something was buzzing in the room. He lifted his head slowly to see his mobile was flashing next to where his head had been lying. Tentatively, he reached out his right hand to pick it up. He frowned at the display: the word Torchwood was flashing on the screen. What was Torchwood and why did he have their number programmed into his phone?

Deciding he had better answer it, he flipped it open, "Hello," he croaked. He quickly coughed, hoping he could try and sound a little less hung over. He tried again, feeling better when his voice sounded a bit more normal – though he still sounded like he had a strong head cold. An American voice floated down the line sounding concerned.

"Ianto? Are you ok?"

"I'm sorry who is this?"

The voice on the other end of the phone seemed to hesitate before answering slowly.

"It's Jack. Ianto, where are you?"

"I'm sorry but I think you've got the wrong number."

"…Ianto, what the hell is going on?"

"'Bye."

Ianto hung up the phone. His head was still killing him. Carefully, he rose up from the floor, grabbing his sofa for support and made his way through to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and a couple of Paracetamol. Hopefully a few hours sleep – in bed this time – would help clear his headache.

Jack stared at his phone in bewilderment before throwing it into his pocket before running down the stairs from his office to the main part of the Hub, grabbing his coat as he went. Three confused faces looked up at him as he thundered down the steps, "Owen," Jack bellowed, "Get your kit. I think something's wrong with Ianto."

Owen immediately ran towards the medical bay while the girls both jumped out of their seats and started towards the garage. "What's going on Jack?" Gwen asked as she ran, while Tosh grabbed her laptop. Jack was already at the entrance to the garage. "I'll explain on the way. Owen will you get a move on already!"

Ianto rinsed out his now empty coffee cup before putting it down on the draining board. Most of the aches had gone thanks to the Paracetamol and the few slices of toast he had managed to eat. His head still ached though and he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was supposed to be doing something. Something important.

He shook his head.

That weird phone call had unnerved him a bit, that was all. He was going to go lie-down for a few hours and hope his head sorted itself out in the meantime.

Ianto was just outside his bedroom when the front door burst open. He froze as three people with guns came charging into his flat. The tallest of the three immediately started barking out orders and Ianto recognised the voice as the one who had spoken to him on the phone earlier. _These people knew where he lived! _

Ianto was starting to get more than just a little bit frightened.

"Owen - take the bedroom and the bathroom. Tosh – make sure he doesn't go anywhere. I'll take the kitchen." The pair nodded and Owen moved past Ianto into his bedroom while Jack headed into the kitchen. All three kept their guns raised. "All clear, Jack," The cockney accent drifted through from behind Ianto's shoulder. "Same here," Jack replied before walking back into the living room, holstering his gun. The other two followed suit.

"Owen, check him out," Jack said, gesturing at Ianto. Owen nodded and moved towards Ianto – who immediately backed away. Unfortunately for Ianto, he walked straight into Jack, who placed his hands on Ianto's shoulders.

Ianto started to struggle, "Get off me! Get away from me! I've done nothing wrong!" Jack tightened his grip on Ianto's shoulders.

"We know Ianto. Owen's just going to make sure you're okay. Make sure everything is alright."

"How do you know who I am? I don't know you! Let me go!" Owen raised his eyebrows at Jack who looked just as confused. Tosh walked towards Ianto slowly, her hands raised so he could see she wasn't going to try and hurt him.

"Ianto, do you remember me? My name's Tosh. That's Jack and that's Owen. We work with you. We're your friends. We just want to help you."

"I've told you, I don't know you people." Ianto stopped struggling and turned to look at Jack.

"Please," He pleaded. "Please, let me go. I've done nothing wrong." Jack scrunched up his face, trying to drown out Ianto's pleading. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Ianto – but there was obviously something very wrong.

For the time being, he had to forget he was Ianto's - boyfriend? Lover? Partner? He hated 21st century labels – he had to concentrate on being the head of Torchwood Three. Something was obviously wrong with Ianto and they couldn't leave him alone until they ruled out the possibility of alien intervention.

"Ianto!" He commanded, inwardly flinching at how harsh his voice sounded. "Ianto we can't let you go. Now let Owen examine you or I'm going to sedate you. Do you understand?" Ianto nodded, on the verge of tears.

Jack guided him through to his kitchen and made him sit down on one of the chairs. He sat on the chair next to Ianto, keeping one hand on his shoulder to try to dissuade him from struggling. Owen followed them while Tosh stayed in the living room. If they did have to sedate Ianto, she didn't want to have any part of it.

"What's the last thing you remember, Ianto?" Owen asked him while digging his stethoscope out of his bag. "I – I don't really know. I woke up on the floor – I think I had too much to drink last night." He looked down at the floor, unable to meet their eyes. He heard Jack snort behind him.

"I find that hard to believe. You hardly keep any alcohol in here," Jack jerked his head towards the drinks-cabinet in Ianto's living room, "and that bottle of scotch is still unopened." Ianto's eyes widened. How did he know that – and more importantly why didn't _he _remember that?"

"I – How do you know that?" Ianto stuttered. Owen smirked.

"I think Jack's been staying here a bit more than he's been letting on. Isn't that right Captain?" Jack growled at Owen.

"That's none of your business." Owen kept on smirking.

"Jack." Gwen called as she entered the flat at that moment, preventing Owen and Jack from dissolving into a slagging match. Jack rose from his seat next to Ianto. "Don't move." He ordered pointing at Ianto. The Welshman nodded. He was still visibly upset.

"What did Andy want?" Jack asked as he entered the living room. They had walked past Gwen's ex-colleague on the stairs up to Ianto's flat and he had immediately cornered Gwen, saying he had just been about to ring her.

Jack knew Gwen and Andy had barely spoken since Gwen had discovered Flat Holm a few weeks earlier. Though he would never admit it, Jack was relieved to know that whatever Andy thought of them personally, he wasn't stupid enough to let a grudge get in the way of contacting them.

"There was a break-in at one of Ianto's neighbours last night. The woman – Mrs Louisa Smith – was in the bath when she heard someone knocking something over in her flat. When she went to see what was going on someone attacked her. One of the other neighbours was coming back from the Gym and saw her door was open. He found her lying on the floor and called an ambulance. She's in A&E."

"What's this go to do with us?" Jack asked. "Sounds like a standard botched robbery to me." Gwen pulled a clear plastic bag out of her coat pocket. "They found this on the floor, under the table."

Jack took the bag from Gwen frowning. His frown grew deeper as he recognised the item – it was a mini rift-energy scanner. Jack turned the bag over, already knowing what he would see. On the back of the scanner there was a small sticker containing the Torchwood logo and the words 'Registered to Torchwood Officer 397' – _Ianto._

"Did the woman say anything else?" Gwen nodded. She was staring at the wall over Jack's shoulder, not wanting to look him in the eye. However, the photograph she was staring at was not much better. It was one of herself, Jack, Owen and Ianto playing pool at one of the pubs near the Hub. No one had realised that Tosh had pulled out her phone to snap the image. She had printed it off and given each of them a framed copy last Christmas.

"Gwen!" Jack snapped. She turned to look at him guiltily. "Did she say anything else?" Gwen took a deep breath. "The guy who found her didn't see anybody as he entered the building but when she came around, Mrs Smith gave the police a description." Jack knew he wasn't going to like what came next. Tosh was nervously glancing between Gwen and Jack.

"What did she say Gwen?" Jack asked.

"Six-foot, white male with a welsh accent. She didn't know his name but recognised him as he lived in the building." Jack closed his eyes as Gwen repeated the woman's description. This could not be happening. He heard Tosh whisper 'Oh my God' but didn't react.

"Jack. What's going on? You don't think Ianto –"

Gwen stopped speaking as Owen walked through from the kitchen, Ianto trailing slowly behind him. Jack placed the bag with Ianto's scanner in his coat pocket. "Ring Andy and tell him that Torchwood are talking over the investigation." Gwen nodded and went to stand outside Ianto's still open front door. "Diagnosis Doctor?" Jack asked Owen.

"He's got concussion and there's a nasty bump on the back of his head. I think that's what's causing the memory loss. I'll be able to do some more tests when we get back to the Hub." Jack nodded. Gwen walked back through the front door.

"He's not happy. Asking if it's another one of our 'Spooky-" Gwen faltered as Ianto paled. "Ianto are you alright?" She asked him.

"Gwen?" Ianto asked before yelling out in pain. He clutched his head – a sharp stabbing pain shooting through his brain. Jack grabbed him before he fell to the floor. "What the hell happened?" Jack demanded as he gently lowered Ianto to the floor. Owen shoved him out of the way so he could get a better look at Ianto.

"He was looking at me." Gwen said, standing behind Jack with Tosh. "He raised his eyebrows and his eyes widened and then–" Gwen waved her hand in as if to say 'and then that happened.'

"Is he alright?" Tosh asked, just as Ianto groaned and started to come round.

_Ianto snorted into his coffee. Gwen shot him a mock-glare. "Sorry." Ianto apologised. "I just can't imagine Rhys as the serenading sort." Gwen glanced at the table._

"_He's not normally. I don't know what came over him."_

"_You mean other than one too many pints of Brains and too many romantic comedies?" Gwen playfully smacked him on the arm. _

"_I don't know why I tell you these things."_

"_Because I'm paying for the coffee?"_

"_I knew there was a reason I liked you."_

"_And here I thought it was for my dazzling intelligence and handsome good looks." Gwen laughed. _

"_You are spending _far _too much time with Jack. He's a bad influence." Ianto gave her a wolfish grin. _

"_Jack can be _very _persuasive." Gwen groaned and rolled her eyes. _

"_I don't want to know."_

"_Liar."_

"_You're right." Gwen glanced at her watch. "We've still got half an hour. Why don't you tell me why Owen banned you and Jack from the autopsy room - and I want _all _the gory details." Ianto smirked._

"_Good. The edited version is much less interesting."_

"Gwen." Ianto groaned as Jack and Owen helped him sit-up.

"Well at least he remembers one of us." Jack grumbled before standing back and letting Gwen get closer to Ianto. Gwen ran her fingers through his hair. It was damp with sweat and sticking to his forehead.

"I'm here sweetheart. Are you alright?" Ianto nodded then grimaced.

"Head hurts."

"Do you want some water?"

"Please."

"Tosh?" Tosh nodded once before walking through to the kitchen.

"What happened?" Jack asked Ianto, from behind Gwen's shoulder.

"I remember Gwen. I remember talking to her about someone – Rhys, I think – serenading her-" Jack and Owen both glanced at Gwen, who muttered, 'don't ask' under her breath. "...And why Owen banned us from the autopsy bay. I don't actually remember why we got banned though."

"I wish I didn't remember." Owen said while Jack grinned.

"Don't worry. I've still got the CCTV footage."

Tosh came back through, carrying the water, just in time to hear Gwen say "Really? You didn't mention any CCTV Ianto."

"CCTV?" Tosh asked.

"Jack and Ianto porn." Owen snapped while pulling off his plastic gloves. Jack rolled his eyes. "I've deleted it from the system. Does that make you feel better?" Owen grunted. "I just wouldn't look at the computer in my office too closely." He said before winking at Tosh and Gwen. Gwen rolled her eyes while Tosh averted her gaze.

"Right." Owen interrupted, before Jack said anything else. "I've heard enough of your love life to last a lifetime Harkness. When did you two have this conversation?" He asked, glancing at first Ianto and then Gwen."

"Two day's ago." Gwen replied. "Jack was talking to the PM and you had challenged Tosh to a Tetris Show-Down." Gwen grinned at Owen. "How did that go by the way? You didn't mention it when we got back, normally you'd take any opportunity to gloat." Owen deliberately ignored her.

"You." He said looking at Ianto. "You need to come with us. I want to run some tests on you. Are you going to co-operate or do I need to take up Jack's suggestion and sedate you?"

Ianto glanced at Gwen who smiled at him, before he nodded his acceptance. He didn't see the glare Gwen shot Jack for threatening to sedate him while Owen helped him to his feet. Owen kept one hand on Ianto's shoulder as they left, whilst Jack went and retrieved Ianto's Torchwood pass and gun from where he kept it in his top draw.

"You two coming?" Jack called as he left Ianto's bedroom. Tosh and Gwen were standing behind Ianto's sofa, heads bent together, whispering furiously. Both jumped apart when Jack spoke. Tosh blushed and Gwen grinned. Jack was immediately suspicious – he recognised that look in Gwen's eyes.

He made a mental note to change the password on his office computer as soon as he got back to the office – not that that would stop Toshiko for very long. He sighed; he had more important problems at the minute, than two gossipy girls.

He followed the others out and locked the door with his key – which was still in the lock from their hurried entrance earlier that morning.

The journey back to the Hub was silent. Owen – having been in the kitchen when Gwen handed Jack Ianto's scanner – was surprised when Jack had handcuffed Ianto, but wisely kept his opinions to himself for once.

As soon as they arrived back at the Hub, Owen and Gwen escorted Ianto to the medical bay so Owen could run some more thorough tests on him. Tosh immediately went to her PC and started to look through the previous evenings, black and white CCTV footage from Ianto's building

Jack took his time parking the SUV. The weight of the scanner in his pocket was bringing his spirits down. He didn't really believe that Ianto would attack somebody – certainly not for their possessions. There was the possibility of alien influence of course, though he hoped that wasn't the case. They had enough alien threats to deal with as it was. Hopefully, Owen's tests would provide them with some more clues as to what was going on.

He sighed and rested his head against the SUV steering wheel. He didn't know what he would do if Ianto was behind the attack.

NO! He mentally chastised himself. He was not walking down that path. There was no way that Ianto would willingly attack someone. If Ianto had attacked the woman, something - or someone - else, was obviously influencing him.

Besides, they still had no concrete evidence that Ianto _had _attacked the woman.

Jack sighed again before getting out of the SUV. He hated himself for what he was about to do, but he knew he didn't have any other choice – he just hoped that Ianto understood.

Jack walked to the balcony above the medical bay, so he could watch Owen perform his tests on Ianto. Gwen was already there. "You okay?" She asked Jack. He nodded. He wasn't getting drawn into this. Until they found some evidence to clear Ianto he was going to have to keep his emotions at bay. He couldn't afford to let his out-of-work relationship with Ianto influence him.

Until they knew Ianto wasn't being influenced by anything alien, Ianto was a threat – and they had to treat him like one.

"Are you finished?" Jack asked Owen as he started to remove his gloves.

"Yep. Just need to analyses this." He said, picking up the vial of Ianto's blood. "We should have the results in a few hours." Jack nodded then turned to Ianto.

"Remember anything else yet?"

"A bit" Ianto frowned. "At least I think so. I recognised up there," Ianto pointed back over Gwen and Jack's shoulders to the main section of the Hub, where Toshiko's typing could be heard as she examined the CCTV footage.

"I remember little bits like making coffee, conversations I've had with you guys – I think I remember why we got banned from the autopsy room." Ianto said looking at Jack. Jack leered at him, while Owen groaned. Gwen started laughing which caused Ianto to smile. Ianto quickly brought the team back down to earth.

"What are you going to do with me?" Gwen immediately stopped laughing and Jack's face fell. All three faces turned to look at him. Jack stared at the wall not wanting to make eye contact.

"Until we get Owen's results back, and we talk to the victim, we can't be sure that you're not a threat."

"You're going to lock me up." It wasn't a question. Jack sighed before forcing himself to look at Ianto. "Yes. You're going to have to stay in the vaults – and that's an order." He directed at Gwen who was already starting to object. Ianto stared back at Jack before dropping his head.

Jack walked down the steps towards Ianto. "I'm going to take you down into the vaults, but later we're going to have to ask you some questions. Understand?"

Ianto nodded. "Do I have to keep these on?" Ianto asked, raising his still handcuffed hands. Jack nodded.

"For now; yes. I'll take them off when you're in the cell, but you'll need to wear them when we're questioning you. Okay?"

"Okay."

Jack helped Ianto get down from the table and then led him into the vaults.

Jack took Ianto to one of the cells at the far end of the corridor on the third level. Ianto had glanced nervously at Janet as they walked past, so Jack placed him in one of the cells on the same side, so that Ianto didn't have to look at her. He smiled gratefully when he realised what Jack had done. Jack walked into the cell with Ianto, before removing his restraints and walking back out again.

"Do you want anything?" Jack asked, through the glass door. Ianto looked down at the rumpled shirt he was wearing. They were the same clothes he had woken up in. Jack didn't mention that they were the same shirt and pants he had worn at work the previous day – nor did he mention the patch of dried blood on his collar from his head injury.

"Do I have any other clothes?" Ianto asked. Jack nodded.

"I'll get you some spares. I'll get you a jumper as well. It gets cold down here."

Jack watched Ianto nod his head before turning away and walking back towards the Hub.

Ianto sat down and huddled as far into the corner as he could. He buried his face into his knees and started to sob. He didn't notice the footsteps echoing down the corridor falter before they continued down the corridor.

Jack was sat at the head of the table in the boardroom, resisting the strong urge to throw something heavy at Owen – and something moderately lighter at Gwen.

It was after eleven and his head was starting to ache. They had been cooped up in this room for hours, going round and round in circles. Owen's tests had come back clear – the only abnormality being the wound on the back of Ianto's head. There had been no traces of Retcon – or alcohol in Ianto's system.

Tosh's research had brought a dead-end. The buildings CCTV footage had crashed at around 8.30 the previous evening, and did not come back online until after midnight. Tosh had greeted this development with a string of profanities so fierce that even Owen raised his eyebrows at some of her phrases.

There was only one short piece of footage Tosh had gathered that was of any note. The black and white footage showed Ianto arriving home alone – with a handful of Asda carrier bags – at around 7. No one had entered or left either Ianto's apartment or Mrs Smith's during the period where Ianto had arrived home and the cameras had gone off-line.

Tosh had also run a scan on the building's residents, based on the description Mrs Smith had given the police. Ianto was one of thirty-four matches.

According to the police reports Tosh had _borrowed_, twenty homes in the building had been broken into, during the last six-months. Each burglary coincided with the CCTV footage going down. However, this was the first time anybody had been hurt or been able to give the police a description.

Gwen and Jack had gone to the hospital with pictures of the computers matches, but they had been denied entry. Mrs Smith was asleep and had been given enough medication to keep her that way for several hours. The short, stocky nurse – who seemed to be immune to Jacks charms, much to Gwen's amusement – had suggested they come back in the morning.

"You cannot be serious?" Gwen asked Owen, her fists clenched in anger. Owen mirrored her position, sitting opposite her. Tosh's gaze swivelled back and forth as if watching a tennis match.

"It's necessary." Owen growled.

"You think locking him up like a weevil is necessary?"

"Yes! We don't know if he's being influenced by something alien or if he's finally flipped – "

"Or if he's totally innocent."

"They found his scanner in the woman's apartment."

"That doesn't mean he's guilty."

"Doesn't mean he's innocent either."

"There is no way Ianto would attack someone."

"There's no way he'd hide a Cyberwoman in the basement either. Oh, wait – he's done that already."

Everyone turned to stare at Owen in disbelief – and fury in Jack's case. Owen knew he had crossed the line and would be lucky if Jack didn't try to kill him again. Gwen spoke again.

"There's no way Ianto would attack anybody!" Owen banged his fists on the table.

"For all we know Ianto's had some sort of breakdown. God knows it's long over-due."

"You really think Ianto's had a breakdown?!"

"He should've had one after Canary Wharf!" Owen shouted before taking a deep breath. His next words were quiet, but the tone indicated that he was fighting to keep his temper. "Gwen you have no idea. There's a reason Ianto doesn't like you playing in the archives – and it's not just because he thinks we all need to re-learn the alphabet.

"There are things in Torchwood's past that are enough to have you reaching for the Retcon – and that's just Cardiff. For years everybody knew that London had been messing with things they should have left well alone. But as far as I know, Jack's the only person to challenge them and live to tell the tale."

Gwen, Tosh and Owen all turned to look at Jack who was staring at the table – his hands gripping his hair on the top of his head. Owen faced Gwen again.

"Canary Wharf, Gwen. Ianto lived through Canary Wharf. Suzie and I went to scavenge the wreck after it happened. I – You can't explain it. Do you remember seeing the pictures of the Twin Towers?" Gwen nodded mutely. She doubted anybody would ever forget that. "That's what it was like. Dust and ash, the smell of flesh burning. I had nightmares for months – and I only saw the aftermath. Ianto was _there_. I'm willing to bet that Ianto would rather spend the rest of his life in Flat Holm than have to relive Canary Wharf."

Gwen opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it again.

"Do you really think Ianto's had some sort of breakdown?" Tosh asked quietly. She had been very quiet during the meeting, speaking only to relay her findings about the CCTV. Owen sighed.

"Honestly? I doubt it. If he were going to have one, it would probably have been after Lisa died. Saying that, psyche is not my speciality. I wouldn't discount the possibility until we get a proper analysis."

"Can you do that?" Gwen asked. Owen nodded.

"It won't be as good as a psychiatrist's assessment, but it should be accurate enough. It's really the best we can do though. We can't bring anyone from the outside in and the last thing we need is UNIT officials swarming around the place."

"What about Martha?" Gwen asked. "Could she give a more accurate assessment?" Owen shook his head.

"No better than mine, she ain't a psychiatrist either."

Jack sighed, causing the other three to turn round. This was hopeless; there was nothing else they could do tonight. "Go home." He told the others as he rose from his seat.

"Jack –"

"I said go home. There's nothing else we can do tonight. Go home, get some sleep and I'll see you all in the morning." Jack swept out of the room without a backward glance, leaving the other three sat in their seats.

"Where do you think he's going?" Gwen asked.

"I know where I'd be going." Owen replied. "Anywhere that was open and sold alcohol." Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Why am I not surprised. He's probably going to brood on a roof somewhere. What Tosh?" Gwen asked as Tosh shook her head at the two of them.

"You're hopeless the two of you." Tosh replied as she shrugged on her coat. "He's going to see Ianto."

Ianto was sat in the far corner of his cell. He pulled the blanket Gwen had brought him earlier tighter around his shoulders, vainly trying to keep out the cold. Gwen had insisted that she be allowed to take some stuff down for him, refusing to treat him the same way they would a Weevil. Jack had agreed – he had been grateful that Gwen had made the suggestion. She had removed the cover and pillows from one of the beds in the resting rooms next to Owen's medical bay, as well as bringing down the book he was reading from their fake Tourist Information Centre.

Ianto could hear the creature moving around in the other cell. Occasionally it would growl at something, but most of the time it just scratched futilely at the walls.

Ianto closed his eyes, pretending that he wasn't stuck in this dark, cold place.

_Well that had to have been the stupidest thing he'd ever done. He had read reports on Weevils but he hadn't really expected them to be that big. The thing had been almost as big as himself – and he'd hit it with a stick. _A stick!

_The other man had it under control now. This was his chance and he had to take it. He had to persuade Captain Jack Harkness – he'd read his file as well – to give him a job. Jack was standing up now. Ianto had been planning this situation out in his head for weeks, but now that he was finally here, he didn't know how to start. 'I need you to let me work at Torchwood so I can rescue my partially converted girlfriend' didn't seem like a good conversation opener. _

"_Thanks." _ - Well done Ianto. Very original.

"_No, thank you…And you are?"_

"_Jones. Ianto Jones." – _That's it! The James Bond DVD's were going on eBay. The other man was smirking; at least he found it funny.

"_Nice to meet you Jones, Ianto Jones. Captain Jack Harkness." _ - Well at least he had followed the right weevil-chasing American. Something had gone right…and it wasn't raining – yet. Those clouds over the trees were looking ominous.

"_Lucky escape."_

"_I had it under control." – _Did he not see that thing chewing on his neck?

"_You think so? You are – you were bleeding."_

"_Had worse from shaving." – _Cocky git.

"_It looked like a Weevil to me." – _This was it. How was he going to react? Perhaps he would lock him up with the Weevil.

"_I have no idea what you're talking about. I'll take it from here." _ - Or perhaps he would just ignore him instead. This was _not _supposed to happen!

"_Thanks for the assistance." _ - Last chance Ianto. Say something funny – or witty – something to make him turn around.

"_Anytime. By the way – love the coat."_

…Well that went well.

Jack walked quietly down the corridor towards Ianto's cell, not even glancing at the snarling Weevil as he walked past. He sighed when he reached Ianto's cell. The young Welshman seemed to be asleep. Ianto was sat with his back against the wall, the quilt Gwen had given him wrapped tightly around his shoulders.

Jack sat down on the floor and rested his forehead on the glass panel that was separating them. He closed his eyes. He would give anything to be able to open the door and curl up beside Ianto. He would give even more for them to both be able to lie down somewhere that wasn't the Vaults. Either the small bed under his office or Ianto's double bed back at his flat. Heck – he'd curl up with Ianto on the mortuary floor if it were the only option.

He sighed again. He needed to stop this.

Jack opened his eyes to find Ianto looking at him.

"Did I wake you?" Jack asked. Ianto shook his head.

"No. Wasn't really asleep anyway." Ianto started to pull at a loose thread on his cover. "Did I really attack one of those Weevil's with a stick?" Ianto asked. For the first time that day Jack laughed.

"Yep. Then you helped me catch a pterodactyl. You complained when I told you that I didn't have any dinosaur nets in the car." Ianto grinned.

"Right before you started bragging about your 51st century pheromones."

"I don't brag...Do I brag?"

"Just a bit."

With the quilt still wrapped around him, Ianto moved from his position in the corner to mirror Jack's position next to the glass partition.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked. Ianto shrugged.

"Okay, I guess. Head still hurts sometimes, but it's not as bad as before."

"Do you remember anything else yet?"

"Everything's sort of blurry. Little bits keep coming back to me though."

"You remember us right? Me, Gwen, Owen and Tosh?"

"Sort-of. I remember little bits, like odd conversations and that." Ianto turned his head to look directly at Jack. "I know I trust you with my life and that you wouldn't keep me in here unless there was no other option." Jack sighed and closed his eyes again.

"Ianto –"

Jack's next words were halted by Jack's PDA beeping. Frowning, Jack pulled the device out of his pocket before swearing under his breath. "Weevil sighting in Bute-Town. I've got to go." Jack said as he pulled himself up off the floor. "Try to get some sleep." Ianto nodded as he watched Jack sprint down the corridor and up through the door.


	2. Friday

Friday

**Friday**

Ianto smiled as Jack appeared before his cell. Both immediately moved into the positions they had been sat in the previous night.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked.

"Better than yesterday. My head twinges now and then, but it doesn't hurt as much when I remember things now." Jack nodded.

"Owen said that lump on the back of your head might hurt for the next few days but your memory should steadily come back."

"Yeah, he mentioned that. I don't remember Owen's manners being as polite as they were today though." Jack laughed.

Earlier that day, Owen had given Ianto a thorough psychiatric assessment. Bar the high number of nightmares – high even by Torchwood standards – Owen found nothing to be concerned about. Owen was already aware of Ianto's nightmares, having prescribed the Welshman sleeping pills after their ill-fated trip to the countryside. Ianto – and Jack – assured him that Ianto's nightmares had not increased recently. If anything, they were decreasing. Instead of having a few nightmares a week, Ianto was now only having around one a month.

"Owen's bedside manner has been known to make the occasional appearance. It's quite rare though, you should probably count your blessings."

"I thought something seemed a bit off." Jack laughed. The pair sat in a comfortable silence for a while, before Ianto spoke again.

"Are you okay?" Jack leant his head against the glass.

"I'll live."

"That wasn't what I asked." Jack turned to look at Ianto, whose eyes were full of concern.

Even with only half of his memories, Ianto was still trying to look after him – and it made Jack's stomach squirm with guilt. He hadn't been there to help Ianto when he needed him – and he should have been. He should-

"Jack?" Jack smiled at Ianto hoping it didn't look as forced as it felt.

"I'll be fine. It's been a long day" Ianto nodded, though he didn't look convinced.

That part was true, Jack reassured himself. He and Gwen had gone back to the hospital that morning. Unfortunately, Mrs Smith was of no use. When asked about the attempted burglary she could recall very little. They showed her pictures of all thirty-four possible suspects and she had not been able to identify any as the man who had attacked her.

"She's suffering from shock." The on-call Doctor had informed them. "Sometimes it can cause short-term amnesia. You might want to try again in a few days time, but there's no guarantee she'll remember anything."

Before the Doctor could say anything else, Jack stormed out of the hospital and back to the SUV, leaving an apologetic Gwen behind him. "At least she didn't say it was Ianto." Gwen said when she finally caught up with Jack.

"Yeah." Jack growled as he pulled open the driver's door so hard, Gwen was surprised it didn't break. "She didn't say it wasn't him either." Gwen quietly got into the SUV, knowing better than to argue with Jack when he was in one of these moods.

Jack and Ianto sat in silence again, both of them leaning against the glass. After a few minutes, Ianto closed his eyes. Jack thought he'd fallen asleep until he suddenly opened his eyes and smiled. Jack couldn't help it – he smiled back. No matter how miserable he was Ianto could always cheer him up.

"What is it?" He asked softly. Ianto replied quietly.

"Stewart and Breen."

"_You're not going to tell me are you?"_

"_Ianto, which part of 'it's a surprise' are you struggling with here?"_

"_The surprise bit." Jack laughed. _

"_I promise you'll like it. Do you trust me?"_

_Jack's laughter quickly faded. After running off with the Doctor and then John appearing like that, he knew he had no right to expect Ianto – or any of the others – to trust him again. He knew it would take a while for them to truly believe that he wasn't going to take off again anytime soon. He'd meant what he'd said. He'd come back for them – his team. _

_He'd come back for this as well. Jack knew he and Ianto could never have normal - not with Torchwood - but that didn't mean they had to be alone. He had plenty of time to be alone later._

_Ianto seemed to realise what he was thinking. He grabbed one of Jack's hands and squeezed it. "I trust you. I do." He said, seeing the look of doubt on Jack's face. "I just don't like surprises." Jack grinned before leaning in to give Ianto a quick kiss. _

"_I promise you'll like this one." Jack started to run down the street, dragging Ianto along with him._

_After a few minutes, Jack stopped outside of a tall building, which towered over the neighbouring offices. The words 'Stewart & Breen' were painted over the main entrance. "You want me to meet your solicitor?" Ianto asked confused, as he looked at the glass entrance to the law-firm. Inside was a set of lifts, a security desk and a lone security guard reading a newspaper. He paid no attention to Jack or Ianto._

"_Hmm? No." Jack replied distractedly. "Come on." He led Ianto around the side of the building until they were outside of a locked fire-exit. Jack pulled a familiar piece of technology out of his coat pocket._

"_I thought we weren't supposed to take alien-tech out of the Hub?" Ianto asked glancing at the lock-picking device Suzie had found that Jack was currently using to unlock the fire-exit._

"_Actually, I said _you_ can't take tech out of the Hub without my permission." The lock on the door clicked and Jack pulled the door open. "I have my permission so- " he gestured for Ianto to walk through the door. Ianto hesitated and glanced nervously at a CCTV camera._

"_Won't that security guard see?"_

"_Bernie?" Jack asked. "Don't worry about it. He won't say anything. Are you coming?" Ianto was still a bit apprehensive. "Look, we don't have to if you don't want to. I can take you back to your flat if you want." Ianto shook his head. He didn't want tonight to end yet. And God knows when they'd both get the night off again. _

_Jack held his free hand out to Ianto, who took it and followed Jack through the fire-exit. Jack closed the door behind them and started to walk up the stairs. "It's a bit of a climb, but it's worth it." Ianto didn't reply- he had a feeling he was going to need to save his breath._

_By the time they reached the top floor, Ianto had a stitch in his side. Walking up thirty flights of stairs after a three-course meal – and a quarter of a bucket of popcorn Jack had insisted on buying at the pictures – was not recommended. _

_Jack was waiting for him at the top. He already had the fire-exit open and was holding his hand out to Ianto again. "Alright?" He asked, the concern evident in his voice. Ianto nodded. "Just give me a minute to get my breath back." Jack placed his hand on Ianto's back and gently rubbed it, as Ianto took a few deep breaths. _

"_Better?" He asked, when Ianto's breathing returned to a slightly more normal rate. _

"_Yep." Ianto replied. "Do I finally get to know what we're doing up here?" Jack grinned. _

"_I want to show you something." He replied, before leading Ianto out of the door and onto the roof of the building. _

_Ianto stared at the view. The lights of Cardiff twinkled below for miles to see, matching the stars glittering in the gaps of cloud that were chasing each other across the sky. He could hear people driving their cars and walking down below. An agitated driver beeped his horn – the noise rising up from the ground before floating away on a gust of wind. _

_Ianto huddled into his coat. It was January and the wind on the ground was bitter. Up here, it was even colder. Jack moved behind him and wrapped his arms around Ianto's waist. Ianto leant into him, grateful for the extra warmth._

_Suddenly, the moon appeared from where it had been lurking behind a cloud, flooding the roof with it's silver light. _

"_What do you think?" Jack whispered in his ear._

"_It's beautiful."_


	3. Saturday

Saturday

**Saturday**

The following morning, Ianto was sat in a chair in one of the Torchwood Three interrogation rooms. If anybody realised that it was the same room they had used when interrogating Suzie, after her return from the dead then nobody mentioned it.

Gwen sat in the seat opposite him while Jack paced behind her. Tosh and Owen were watching the conversation on the CCTV footage from Tosh's workstation.

Jack was allowing Gwen to do most of the talking. Her police training skills were usually the most effective way to get people to talk, and he was still wound up after his third trip to the hospital to see Mrs Smith, had not yielded any better results than either of his previous trips. He didn't trust himself not to say something stupid or harsh that would spook Ianto.

"Can you tell me what you did on Wednesday?" Gwen asked. "Tell me everything you can remember." Ianto took a sip of water, from the beige plastic cup in front of him before he started to talk.

"I got up around six, showered, got ready, ate some toast and then got into work around seven. I made Jack coffee and then went to do some filing in the archives for a few hours.

"I came back up just before nine to make some more coffee. Just after Owen arrived, the Rift alarm went off. The signal was coming from a farm just outside of Splott. When we got there, it was to find a 39th century music box had come through the Rift and landed in the field. We spent the rest of the day, trying to find all the pieces in the field.

"Once we got back to the Hub, Jack had a conference call with Archie so he said we could go home and he'd call us if he needed us. I fed the fish and Myfanwy and Jack walked me out before he had to phone Archie." Ianto frowned and took another drink of water.

"I remember saying 'bye to Jack and the next thing I remember after that is waking up on the floor."

"Can you tell me what the time was when you left the Hub?"

"About quarter to five, I think."

"And you don't remember anything after that?" Ianto shook his head.

"No, it's not fuzzy or anything, it's just blank." Gwen nodded, before sliding some pictures across the table towards him. "Do these help? They were taken from the CCTV in your building at around 7pm on Wednesday night." Ianto frowned as he looked at the black and white pictures of himself carrying Asda shopping bags into his flat. "No. I don't remember that."

"Okay. Can you tell me what happened after you woke up?"

"Jack, Tosh and Owen came to my flat. Owen checked me out and then you came in and I fainted. You guys brought me back to the Hub and Owen checked me out again. After that, Jack said I had to stay in the vaults until you knew for certain that I wasn't a threat."

"Okay." Gwen nodded her head before looking at Jack. "Is there anything else you want to ask?" Jack shook his head. "Right, well I think we're done." Jack nodded.

"I'll take Ianto back downstairs. I want to meet you, Tosh and Owen in the boardroom in five minutes." Gwen gave Ianto a tentative smile as Jack led him out of the room. Neither of them saw the smile fade and be replaced with a worried glance.

"I swear they didn't look at each other once." Gwen said. She, Owen and Tosh were sat in the boardroom waiting for Jack to return from taking Ianto back down to the vaults.

"I noticed that as well." Tosh said. "It must be hard on them though. Ianto's stuck in the vaults and he knows it's Jack who ordered him to be put there. Jack's not just his boss he's his – boyfriend?" Gwen shrugged.

"I dunno what they're calling themselves," Owen replied. "I know it's more than just sex though." Both Tosh and Gwen looked at him in surprise. Owen waved his hands. "Look, when I first - when this happened – I said some things to Ianto I shouldn't have. Jack found out and told me that if I ever say anything to Ianto again, he'd use me as a punching bag. Can we drop it now?"

Gwen and Tosh nodded. "Did anybody else notice if they looked at each other, the other times we questioned Ianto?" Gwen asked. Owen shrugged his shoulders, while Tosh shook her head.

"Not when we've been questioning him. However, I know Jack's been going down to the vaults on a night. I was in early this morning and saw him come back up." Gwen frowned.

"So why won't they look at each other when we're questioning them?"

"They're at work." Owen replied. "I know I'm the first one to say something whenever they get caught at the Hub, but during work hours they're strictly professional. At least since Jack came back they are."

"I think Owen's right." Tosh said. "When we're questioning Ianto, he's Captain Jack. He has to put everybody's safety first. When it's just the two of them, he can go back to being just Jack." They were all silent for a few seconds, as they thought about Tosh's statement.

"I'm glad I'm not in his position." Tosh continued. "I don't know what I'd do, if it was my boyfriend." Gwen nodded. She had placed Rhys in the Torchwood vaults once before and it was something she hoped she would never see again.

"Don't worry about it," Owen replied "this is unusual even for Torchwood…Who wants to bet Jack turns into overprotective boyfriend from hell once this is all over?" Gwen and Tosh grinned.

"I bet Ianto isn't allowed out of the Hub for a month." Gwen replied.

"I'm tempted to keep him locked in the Hub forever." Gwen jumped; she hadn't heard Jack enter the boardroom. "But something tells me he wouldn't be keen on the idea. And he can get out of any restraint, no matter how tightly I tie him to the bed."

"Moving on!" Owen proclaimed loudly as Gwen laughed and Tosh blushed. Jack sank wearily into his chair.

"What do you think then?" He asked.

"Looks like he's got all of his memory back," Owen replied, "except during the time the victim was attacked. Everything he remembers before and after the attack seems correct." Jack nodded.

"That's what I thought. Tosh, how long until you have that tracking software finished?"

"Half an hour, maximum."

"Right; Tosh get that software finished. If somebody tries to interfere with the cameras, I want to know everything about them. Name, address, favourite colour, anything you can find.

Owen, check all of Ianto's results again – and ring Martha. It's a long shot, but she might be able to think of something we're overlooking. Gwen – go grab us some coffee will you? I promised Ianto nobody would attempt to use the coffee machine. When you're done I want you to ring Andy, see if you can find anything else out about these past robberies."

Jack ran his hand through his hair as the rest of his team jumped up and filed out of the boardroom. Slowly he raised himself out of his chair; it was time to feed the pterodactyl again. He stopped outside of the boardroom and looked at his team below him. He forced back the sudden burst of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him. Gwen was standing next to Tosh, asking if she wanted a cake or anything else while she was out, while Owen was talking on his mobile while scanning Ianto's results for what felt like the hundredth time.

Normally even when Ianto wasn't in sight, there was a sign he was around. The smell of fresh coffee; piles of forms to be signed, placed neatly on the corner of Jack's desk with a yellow sticky note on top; the gleam of the boardroom table where Ianto had cleaned it. You could always tell when it was Ianto's day off, as stray pizza boxes seemed to turn up everywhere.

Jack walked into the kitchen to prepare Myfanwy's food, trying to pretend that this was just one of Ianto's rare days off.

Ianto was already sat next to the door when Jack arrived that evening. "You look tired." Ianto said as Jack sank to the floor with a groan.

"So do you." Ianto shrugged.

"This isn't the most comfortable of places to sleep. I don't think I'll complain about that camp bed under your office ever again."

Jack closed his eyes. _God this was hard. _Nobody would know if he opened the cell and sat with Ianto, especially if he wiped the CCTV footage. Jack didn't need much sleep, just a few hours here and there. He had tried to sleep, but his little room seemed darker and colder than usual. Jack hadn't fallen asleep alone since he had come back from his trip with the Doctor.

"No." Ianto's voice was harsh and jerked Jack away from his thoughts. "Don't go there. You know you can't do it, so don't torture yourself. And Tosh will know if you've adjusted the CCTV. She can hunt out edited footage before you say Weevil." Jack laughed quietly.

"I miss how you always know what I'm thinking." Ianto smiled slightly.

"I miss waking up to you singing in the shower."

"I miss your coffee."

"I miss you flirting with me when I deliver your coffee."

"I miss you shouting at me for doing something stupid."

"I miss making up with you after we fight."

Jack sighed and leant his forehead on the glass. "I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"I can't believe how hard this is."

"Me neither. Has it really only been three days? It seems like longer."

"Yeah…Ianto?"

"Hmmm?"

"I'm sorry." Jack turned away from Ianto to face the wall. "I should have been there." Ianto stared at Jack in confusion. In any other situation, Jack would have laughed at the bemused expression on Ianto's face.

"What are you on about?"

"Wednesday night. I was supposed to come over after work but I couldn't get Archie off the phone. Then there was a Weevil sighting. I spent three hours chasing this Weevil across Cardiff. By the time I got it sedated and locked in a cell, it was four in the morning. I didn't want to wake you up so I went back to my office and tried to finish some paper work." Ianto started to laugh. "I should have been with you…what's so funny?"

"Oh Jack. How long has this been eating you up?" Jack shrugged and looked at the floor sheepishly.

"Since about three minutes past four on Thursday morning."

"You idiot. Jack, there was nothing you could have done. I understand that with this job, there's going to be some nights we're not going to spend together. Though for future reference, I'd rather you came home and woke me up for a few minutes than spent the night alone at the Hub." Jack smiled.

"I'll remember that next time. You forgive me then?" Ianto laughed.

"Yes, I forgive you. Do you forgive me for remembering who Gwen was before you?"

"I suppose, though I hope you noted how well I took that!" Ianto laughed again.

"I did notice. I'll make it up to you." Jack smiled before leaning his head back against the glass.

"Okay if I stay with you again tonight?"

"Always."


	4. Sunday

Sunday

**Sunday**

"Who wants to start?" Jack asked. He was sat at the head of the boardroom table addressing Tosh, Owen and Gwen. The live CCTV footage of Ianto in his cell was displayed on the plasma screen on the wall. Jack was deliberately ignoring it.

"Gwen then. What did Andy say?" Gwen took a swig of her coffee from the plastic Starbuck's cup.

"Nothing that we didn't know already. There's been a number of robberies in Ianto's building during the last six months. However, they only ever take one or two things, one week it was a laptop, another was a piece of jewellery, another time they just took money. They never take enough to be noticed if they walk past somebody.

"Mrs Smith was the only person who has been able to give a description. I'm going to go back to the hospital again today. One of the nurses said they should be releasing her sometime this afternoon."

Jack nodded his head in agreement. "Ok, good. I'll go with you. Tosh?"

"I've re-routed the building CCTV so we get constant live footage of the building. I finished the tracker yesterday afternoon and placed it in the system – if anybody tries to interfere with the footage, I'll be able to find them.

"I've also modified their security coding a bit. If the footage does go again, I should be able to restore it in a matter of minutes, as opposed to the hours it's been taking their technicians."

"Brilliant as always Tosh." Jack beamed at her, causing Tosh to blush slightly. "Owen?"

"As far as I can tell, Ianto is not under any alien influence. All the readings are constant and match the normal levels I have on record. The only changes I've detected are the pheromones in the air sample increase slightly, usually during the night. However, they match the information I have on you and not the alien sex-monster Gwen tried to get pally with last year." Owen ignored the glare Gwen shot him and kept talking. "_If_ – and notice I used the word if – if Ianto did attack those people, he did it fully aware of his actions."

"We don't know he did attack that woman." Gwen argued.

"We still have no evidence he _didn't."_

"And we are not having this argument again." Jack interrupted. "Anybody got anything else to say about this? Anything productive?" He added, looking pointedly at Gwen and then Owen. The girls shook their heads.

"In other news," Owen said, "Weevil mating season is nearly upon us again. I suggest that you all wear old clothing for the next few weeks and stock up on Weevil sedation spray. I've improved it, as some of them were becoming immune again…and I finally managed to beat Tosh's Tetris score last night. You may all bow down to your new God now."

Tosh and Gwen grinned at each other.

"Should I tell him or do you want to do it?" Gwen asked.

"I'll let you, I'm sure you'll get more enjoyment out of it." Owen's face fell. He had a feeling he was about to regret the sex-alien comment.

"Tell me what?"

"This Tetris score." Gwen said with a wide grin plastered across her face. "Would that be the one you've spent the last few weeks working on?" Owen nodded mutely. "The same one Tosh broke this morning?" Owen stared at Tosh in horror.

"You didn't." Tosh nodded.

"First attempt. Feel free to bow down to the original Tetris God anytime now Owen." Owen banged his head off the table and started muttering under his breath. Tosh smirked. "Not quite what I had in mind but I suppose it will do."

"Right team." Jack said, not quite hiding his grin at Owen's misfortune. "Back to work. Tosh keep an eye on that CCTV footage for me. And Owen." Owen raised his head from the table.

"What?"

"Make sure you do some proper work before you start playing that game again. Can I make a suggestion?"

"No." Jack shrugged.

"Fine with me. I was just going to give you a website I found that helps improve your Tetris skills. I jumped up fifteen levels in one night."

"I relent. Give me the website." Jack shook his head.

"I'll think about it if you do some proper work for a bit." Gwen, Tosh and Jack all started to laugh as Owen jumped out of his chair and ran straight to the medical bay.

"Are you really going to give him the website?" Gwen asked as she and Tosh both stood to leave.

"I told him I'd think about it." Jack said grinning. Gwen laughed again.

"You're an evil man Jack Harkness."

"But you love me anyway." Jack replied. Gwen rolled her eyes before exiting the boardroom, leaving Jack alone with only the CCTV footage of Ianto for company. He sighed and glanced up at the television.

Ianto was pacing back and forwards across his cell like a caged lion. He was getting bored and restless cooped up in the cell. The team knew they had to find some evidence either proving or disproving Ianto was the assailant quickly, before Ianto did go mad in there.

Jack started to rise from his chair and froze. He saw Ianto clutch his forehead in pain before falling to the ground – just as he had when he had seen Gwen on Thursday morning.

Jack was out of the door, bellowing 'Owen,' and on his way to the vaults before Ianto had hit the floor. Jack ran down to the third level and quickly opened Ianto's cell. He was just coming round again as Jack opened the door.

"Jack?" Ianto groaned.

"It's okay. I'm here." He told Ianto softly. Jack sat down on the floor next to him, pressing down lightly on his shoulder when Ianto tried to sit up. "No, stay there. Don't move until Owen's had a look at you. He's coming now." Ianto nodded and then grimaced. Jack could hear Owen's light footfalls hurrying down the corridor. The soft clink of high-heels and trainers squeaking on the floor told Jack that Tosh and Gwen had followed Owen.

"What the hell's going on?" Owen ordered, already pulling his stethoscope out of his bag before he had even entered the cell. Tosh and Gwen's worried faces appeared behind his shoulder.

"I remember what happened."

_Ianto continued to hum the song that had just been playing on the radio, as he unlocked his front door and carried the Asda carrier bags through to the kitchen. _

_He couldn't decide whether he wanted to make spaghetti bolognese or carbonara. He didn't get many opportunities to cook, but he enjoyed it on the rare evening he had away from Torchwood. In the end, he'd bought the ingredients for both, wishfully thinking he could cook the other on his day off on Friday. He knew that realistically he would be called into work. He'd been called into work on his last eight day's off. _

_The last time he'd had forty-eight hours off he'd been attacked by cannibals. The time before that he'd been on suspension._

_Jack had promised to try and call round after his conference call with Archie but Ianto wasn't hopeful of seeing him again that night. Ianto'd had a few phone meetings with the head of Torchwood Glasgow and the shortest conversation he'd ever had was over three hours long – and that had only ended because a … spaceship had crash landed in Cardiff. _

_Deciding on Bolognese, Ianto unpacked all the ingredients and grabbed a large pan from one of the bottom cupboards. _

_Two hours later, Ianto had cooked, eaten and set the dishwasher away. He'd heard nothing from Jack, suggesting that he was still stuck on the phone. Normally Jack would have sent him messages or emails from his office, but one of Archie technicians had taught him how to video-message. _

_Jack had complained loudly for a week and had even asked Tosh to plant a virus in their system to break their webcams. She had declined, causing Jack to complain even more._

_He stood up from where he'd been lounging on his sofa and glanced at the clock. Just before nine. He'd put a DVD in and then have an early night – assuming Jack didn't turn up in the meantime. Ianto was skimming through the rack of DVD's next to his television when he heard somebody scream._

_Ianto jumped up and ran straight out of his apartment, not bothering to shut his door in his haste to find out who had screamed. The door to Louisa Smith's apartment three doors down was open slightly. He knocked on the door, before poking his head through._

"_Mrs Smith? Louisa are you in here?" When nobody answered, Ianto walked through the door. There was a familiar female figure lying face down on the floor. Ianto could see scratches on her face and she had a cut on the back of her head that was bleeding. _

_He ran over to her and checked for a pulse in her neck. Good, she was still breathing. Ianto reached for his phone then swore. His phone was still on his coffee table. Mentally berating himself – Jack would kill him for going anywhere unprepared – Ianto leapt up and ran back to his apartment. _

_He didn't hear the soft clink of metal as the scanner he still had in his trouser pocket fell out and rolled under the table. _

_Ianto didn't realise he was being watched as he left the apartment. His priority was getting an ambulance to the building as quickly as possible. He ran into his apartment and found the phone lying on the table exactly where he had left it. _

_Just as he was bending down to pick it up, he heard footsteps running into his apartment. Ianto tried to turn around, wondering if it was Jack coming back from work, or another of his neighbours who had heard Louisa's scream. _

_They were too quick. The assailant carried on running, holding a large wooden ornament in his hands. Before Ianto could fully turn, they were standing next to him and hit him once on the back of the head, as hard as they could. _

_Ianto crumpled to the floor in a heap._

"Do you know who the attacker was?" Gwen asked. Ianto shook his head.

They were back in the interrogation room, though this time all five team members were there. Gwen and Ianto were sat in the same positions as last time, while Jack was refraining from pacing and was standing silently in the far corner, glaring at the wall opposite.

Tosh was sat in the other corner next to the door, typing Ianto's recollection of Wednesday night. Owen stood next to her, leaning against the wall.

"I don't know his name, but I recognised him." Ianto said. "I think he lives on one of the floors above me."

"Do you think you would recognise his picture?" Gwen asked. Ianto nodded.

"I think-" Everybody turned to look at Gwen whose phone had started ringing.

"Sorry, thought I'd put it on silent." Gwen frowned and turned to look at Jack. "It's Andy. It might be important." Jack nodded his head, but otherwise didn't move from where he was stood, his arms folded protectively in front of his chest.

"Go see what he wants. Tosh can you get the pictures up on your laptop?" Tosh nodded and rose to sit in Gwen's seat in front of Ianto as Gwen moved outside the interrogation room to answer her phone.

"Here. These are all the people who matched the description Mrs Smith gave to the police. Use the navigational arrows to scroll through the pictures. Stop if you see the man that attacked you." Ianto nodded and pulled the laptop a bit closer to him.

Nobody spoke for a few minutes while Ianto scrolled through the images. "There." He suddenly said. "That's him." He turned the laptop around to face Tosh.

"Are you sure?" Owen asked from his corner of the room. Ianto nodded.

"Definitely. That's him." Tosh pressed a few keys on the laptop. Just as a smiling Gwen walked back into the room.

"Ianto's identified him," Tosh said. "His names-"

"Mark Strong. Age 23, lives on the fifth floor, apartment number 509. He was flogging the stolen items on eBay." Everybody stared at Gwen.

"How the hell did you know that?" Tosh asked.

"The police just arrested him. They tried to pull him over – his suspension was low – and he bolted. He thought they were arresting him for the break-ins so he drove off.

"Andy wants to know if we want to question him, seeing as how we officially took over the case." Jack shook his head.

"No. Let them do their job." Gwen turned and left the room again.

Jack let out a large sigh of relief. "Thank God this is nearly over. Ianto, we need to ask you some more questions, but let's move it to the boardroom, yeah? I hate these rooms." Ianto and Owen both made noises of agreement.

"Can't it wait 'till tomorrow?" Tosh asked as she closed her laptop.

"No." Tosh raised her eyebrows. Both Jack and Ianto had answered simultaneously.

"It's better to get this over and done with." Jack replied. "It shouldn't take too long, but we need to get this recorded. We actually have a form that needs to be filled out if a Torchwood member of staff is wrongly accused of committing a crime. Form 37A?" Jack asked Ianto.

"Close 37B. 37A is for members of staff who get arrested by the Shadow Proclamation. And besides," Ianto turned back to Tosh "once today is over, I never want to think about the last few days again. I just want it over." Tosh nodded her head before leading the way back to the boardroom, listening to Owen and Jack discuss their love of stupid criminals.

"Did you at anytime believe you were a dragon, pixie or any other 'mythical' creature that the Torchwood Archives shows **does or has in the past **existed?"

"You're kidding right?" Owen asked incredulously. Tosh shook her head and turned her laptop round so Owen and Gwen could look quizzically at the form she was filling out.

"Who wrote these questions?" Gwen asked as she turned the laptop back towards Tosh.

"Andrew Stevenage." Ianto replied. "He was head of communications between the Torchwood branches at Torchwood Glasgow in the early 1900's. There's a list in the archives of who invented each form and when it was first put into circulation if you're interested."

"Not that interested." Gwen grinned.

"You should see some of the questions on the forms he has to fill in." Ianto said, while indicating Jack, who was sat at the opposite end of the boardroom table with a nod of his head. "And the answer is no, Tosh. At no time did I believe that I was a mythical creature that the Torchwood Archives shows does or hasin the past existed?" Tosh nodded and typed in his answer.

"Did you at anytime believe you were a ogre, witch/wizard or any other 'mythical' creature that the Torchwood Archives currently shows **does not or has not in the past **existed?" Owen groaned.

"How many of these ridiculous questions are left Tosh? The last sensible question was over an hour ago."

"This is the last one." She replied.

"Thank God. Why on Earth do you need so many questions on one form?"

"Is that you volunteering to re-design the form Owen?" Jack asked grinning.

"No. Not at all. There's nothing wrong with the forms, the forms are great. In fact- the guy who wrote them should get a posthumous award for being so brilliant." Everybody laughed.

"How are you supposed to know every creature Torchwood does or doesn't have evidence for?" Gwen asked.

"That's what I'm here for." Ianto replied. "And no, Tosh." Ianto said. "I did not believe I was any type of 'mythical' creature, real or otherwise."

Tosh nodded and saved the report. "All done." She said and smiled at Ianto.

"Do you have anything else to add?" Jack asked Ianto, who shook his head in reply. "You have everything you need for the reports?" He asked. Tosh and Owen nodded. "Right. Go home. Unless the Rift explodes again, nobody has to come back in until tomorrow lunch-time."

Nobody was quite sure who moved first, but before the rest of the team had even stood up, Jack and Ianto were stood in the middle of the boardroom, arms wrapped around each other.

The rest of the team gathered in the corner, watching the reunion. "I'm sorry." Jack kept repeating in-between kisses, his arms still tightly wrapped around Ianto.

Finally Ianto pulled back slightly, remembering their audience, though he didn't move completely out of Jack's embrace. "It's okay, I understand. You did what you had to." Jack nodded before kissing Ianto's forehead.

"What do you want to do tonight? We can stay here if you don't want to go home. Or I can book us into a hotel, if you don't want to stay at either." Ianto shook his head.

"I need to go home. Is Louisa alright?" Jack nodded before pulling Ianto closer to him again.

"She's fine. We'll call in on her on the way home so you can see for yourself."

"Thank you." Ianto replied before closing his eyes and leaning his head against Jack's shoulder.

Jack kissed Ianto once more before pulling back. "Come on. I'll go sort the Hub out. If Gwen doesn't inspect you for herself in the next twenty second's I dread to think what she'll do to me." Ianto laughed and reluctantly loosened his tight grip on Jack.

Jack had barely moved two steps, before Gwen had thrown herself at Ianto. Jack laughed at the startled look that flashed across Ianto's face as Gwen launched herself at him. Ianto kissed her forehead the same way Jack had his a few moments earlier. Ianto could hear Jack still chuckling as he left the boardroom.

"I missed you." Gwen said, slightly loosening her tight grip from around his neck.

"I missed you too. Thank you, for bringing all that stuff down for me."

"I had to do something, I hated seeing you down there."

"Don't think about it. It's over now." Ianto ordered. Gwen nodded.

"Are you going to be alright tonight?"

"I'll be fine. Jack'll look after me." Ianto laughed at the sceptical expression on Gwen's face, clearly indicating what she thought of Jack's comforting skills. "Trust me Gwen, I'll be okay. All I need tonight is Jack and a good bottle of wine."

"If you're sure. Call me if you want anything." Ianto nodded and kissed her cheek.

"I promise."

Gwen finally separated herself from Ianto who placed his arm around her shoulders as they walked towards Tosh and Owen, who were still standing in the corner of the boardroom. Tosh was a lot more restrained than Gwen had been. She simply said 'welcome back, Ianto' before giving him a chaste kiss on his cheek.

Both girls walked away towards the door, and the main section of the Hub, leaving Owen alone with Ianto. Owen looked at the floor and shuffled his feet. "I owe you an apology." Owen said, still looking at the floor. "I said some things I didn't mean and-"

"Don't worry about it." Ianto interrupted.

"But-"

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to know what you said; it's over and done with. I just want to forget everything and go back to normal."

"You mean Jack hasn't already told you?" Ianto shook his head.

"And he's not going to…I didn't realise you felt guilt." Owen grinned at him, grateful for the opening Ianto had provided to move back to their usual bickering.

"I don't. I just don't want you're boyfriend using me as target practice."

"He doesn't need to practice. Though he does like playing board games. We could cut you open and play operation."

"No way! Gwen told me about the games the two of you play."

"What's the matter? Jealous that you can't join in."

"…There's no right way for me to answer that, is there?"

The pair started to laugh. Owen patted Ianto on the back. "Look, don't let him come in tomorrow. Me and the Girls will take care of the Weevils and anything that comes through the Rift."

"Are you sure?" Ianto asked. Owen nodded.

"King of the Weevils remember." Owen smirked. "And besides, I think the girls want a good rummage through Jack's private stash of CCTV footage, and I think it would be better all round if you weren't here when they did it."

"Do me a favour? Don't tell me what they find. There are some things I'd rather not know."

Owen laughed and the pair made their way out of the boardroom. Jack, Gwen and Tosh were waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "You ready to go?" Jack asked Ianto, already wearing his greatcoat and holding one of Ianto's spare jackets in his hands. "Yep." Ianto replied, letting Jack help him into his coat. This silently reaffirmed what he had told Gwen earlier- Jack would look after him tonight.

"Gwen's spent the last five minutes telling me about this great bottle of wine she and Rhys had the other night." Jack said as all five of them crowded onto the invisible lift. "What does that tell you?"

"To look up the number for a local AA meeting?" Gwen's punch to his shoulder was nullified by the grin she was sporting as the rest of the team laughed. Jack pressed the relevant buttons on his wrist-strap to start the lift, before resting his hand on Ianto's back.

Ianto smiled, the memories of the last few days already seemed like light-years away. Owen and Gwen were arguing about the latest Sci-Fi film that was being advertised, while occasionally calling on Tosh to support or contradict their opinions. He had missed this.

Ianto raised his head and closed his eyes. Relishing the fresh air that was coming through the hole in the Hub ceiling. When he opened his eyes again, it was to see Jack grinning at him. Jack moved the hand on his back so it was around his waist. Ianto moved further into Jack's embrace, who kissed the top of his head again.

"You okay?" Jack muttered into Ianto's hair. Ignoring the others crammed onto the lift with them, Ianto wrapped his arms around Jack's neck, before leaning in to kiss Jack properly.

"Never better."


End file.
